Keep Holding on
by immortalGoldfish
Summary: What If Ozai Defeated Aang? With Aang, Sokka, Suki, and Toph dead, Zuko and Katara are on the run from Firelord Azula and Pheonix King Ozai. Now that Zuko and Katara are alone, they uncover something hidden deeper in their relationship than they knew.
1. Chapter 1

" Hold on okay" I told Zuko. We had barely escaped with our lives. We defeated Azula, but Ozai defeated Aang, then Ozai killed Sokka, Toph, and Suki. We had received the news after I had chained Azula to the gutter, and healed the prince's wound. That was when the guards freed the princess, and we fled for our dear lives. Zuko's chest heaved viciously from running with his condition. The two of us jumped into a ditch by the road.

" Are you okay?" I asked him

" Fantastic" he groaned sarcastically " Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Suki are dead, and now we're on the run. It can't get much better than this"

I hiccupped from all the crying I had done today. I lost my brother and my three best friends, and now I was stuck with Zuko, of all people. Tears streamed down my face once again, and forgetting his chest wound, he hugged me. I heard him wince and pulled back.

" It's okay," he said unconvincing, " it doesn't hurt that much anymore"

" What are we going to do now?"

" I don't know" he admitted, " the Earth Kingdom will be colonized before morning, at least what's left of it. My dad is going to look for us nonstop…"

" What about the water tribes?" I asked. He looked at his feet regrettably.

" This is my fault, maybe if I had manned up and spoken against my father…" he touched his scar " this wouldn't have happened. I don't want to say it, but fire melts ice doesn't it?" Tears welled in my eyes, Gran – Gran, Pakku, Yagoda, Arnook, Bato, dad, everyone will be dead. Drowned or burned. Zuko held me closer. I've already lost my mother, brother, and all my friends; I can't loose my entire tribe. Faces flashed in my mind, memories of my tribal family, all those children, not even five years old, will all die. Tears rolled down my face. I couldn't take it! I just couldn't! It was too hard! Zuko's hand grabbed my shoulder.

" We have to go!" he said " now" I looked back at the city and saw a bright orange glow recede down the mountain. My eyes widened

" What is that thing?" I asked

" I have no idea!" he said

We jumped to the side of the rode into a ditch. "So," I panted " What now?" It took the Firebender a minute to catch his breath before answering.

" Maybe we could hide in one of the air temples" he suggested " or somewhere remote where no one will find us."

" How will we get there?" I asked, " Appa is dead. Your war balloon was destroyed when…" I bit my lip " you and Sokka went to that prison. The zeppelin was taken"

" I don't know" zuko yawned " maybe we should make camp for the night." He looked around. " Lets find somewhere farther away from the main road" I agreed.

Twenty minutes later we found a small opening in the middle of the wooded forest. As Zuko searched for firewood, I began to make a tent out of tree branches and leaves. I figured that we would only need one tent to share between the two of us. By the time he had returned, I had the tent built, and was practicing plant bending.

" you know," he said after lighting the fire, " you're going to have to hide your bending. I mean, don't get caught waterbending, or you're going to get arrested." He picked at the fire with a twig, grasshopper – crickets sang, the fire crackled, and a badger – frog croaked in the background. He chuckled to himself.

" what?" I asked

" it's nothing," I kept staring at him, " okay fine I'll tell you, remember the day I joined your group?" I nodded " I rehearsed what I was going to say to a badger – frog." I giggled, after all we've been through, we needed a laugh.

" And when you and Sokka went 'fishing' you told Aang to practice whenever he heard a badger – frog croak." He smiled at the memory

" I wish it were worth all the work," he admitted

After a few more minutes of silence, I said " hey remember when I stole that scroll and you tied me to a tree?"

Zuko frowned " what about it?"

" remember what you said to me?" I asked trying to restrain a smile from bursting from my face. Zuko blushed.

" no," he lied

" It was something like 'I'll save you from the pirates!'" I tried to mimic his tone. He glared daggers at me, and stabbed an ember with the stick making the fire burn a little brighter. The way his golden eyes reflected in the fire made it seem as though the fire was in him. I could almost see the flames dance and sparkle within the amber oceans.

" What?" he asked, catching my gaze.

" nothing," I said awkwardly " it's just your eyes…they're a really… bright… no… handsome… color."

" isn't the guy supposed to be complementing the girl?" he asked, once again hiding his blush. I shrugged. I then looked down at his burned shirt and stomach.

" come here" I said as I bended water out of my skins. " if I don't do this now, its going to hurt like hell in the morning." He stood and walked over to me. I also stood and place my hands over the wound, and he seemed to relax a little bit.


	2. Chapter 2

_hey, chapter 2 is finally up! enjoy!_

I stretched my arms and yawned. Bright orange rays of sunlight were shining through the peepholes of the grass tent, and I smiled as I welcomed the new day. Unlike my brother, I was a morning person. I decided to get up and make breakfast for the gaang. As I pulled my loopies back and pinned them into the bun, the events of the previous day slapped me in the face. All my friends were dead. I would have cried, but believed that I cried myself dry, that's when I realized how parched and hungry I was. I pulled aside the curtain and saw the young man slumped over on a log. Zuko's head rested on is hands, and his elbows were propped up on his knees. His eyes were closed, but the dark circles under his eyes were a tell tale sign that he hadn't been asleep for long. He must have heard me approach, because his eyes snapped open and his hand flew to his Dao swords. He looked around for the threat, and seeing that it was just me, he relaxed.

" You were supposed to wake me up" I scowled

" You needed the rest more than I did," he answered. I sat next to him. He covered his face with his hands.

"Pff" I laughed " speak for yourself. How's your chest?"

" Doesn't hurt" he lied. I rolled my eyes and bent some water out of my pouch. I made his stand up and I placed the icy water over his hot, raw, skin. He, again, seemed to relax the slightest bit.

" We don't have to live like this," I said as I healed his chest

" Live like what?" he asked

" Fugitives" I answered

" Well…" he began his sarcastic remark

" Shut up" I said " just hear me out"

" Fine" he sighed

" Before the day of black sun, Sokka, Toph, Aang, and I were hiding in the _Fire Nation" _he raised his eyebrow " Come to think of it weren't you and Iroh hiding in the Earth Kingdom?" he shrugged, then winced " what I'm saying is that…" I hesitated " 'blending in is better than hiding out'" I quoted my old best friend.

Zuko thought about what I said for a moment, then nodded.

_This is so weird! _I thought getting a strange sense of de ja vou again. Zuko and I hid behind between two buildings on the edge of the little fire nation village. With my Water Tribe apparel, and his scorched shirt, we were in desperate need for a disguise. Zuko put his finger to his lips and snuck around to the front of the store.

" Help please" I heard him gasp, " I've been wounded."

"Spirits!' the shopkeeper cried, " what happened?" I saw him run out to the front of the store where Zuko was acting.

" I was mugged!" he replied, " he burned me and stole all of my money! I need a healer"

" There is a healer a block down"

" Don't think I can make it on my own," he begged. I peeked around to see an old man help drag him down the street. _Spirits! Who knew he could act?_

I crept into the shop and found that we scored jackpot. The prince's shoes and pants were in good enough shape. I would only need to get a shirt for him, as for me; I would need a whole new outfit change. I snatched an elbow length shirt, a black leather vest with gold lining and a gold belt for Zuko and I shoved it into a sack we conveniently just found. Then I looked at another rack for the lady's clothing. I chose a red shirt with a gold and silver design on the sleeves that looked like a yin and yang, a brown skirt with a imaged of red flowers falling from a tree imprinted into the fabric, brown pants, tan boots, a red vest with a gold trim that fell to my ankles, and a maroon belt. My head snapped up when I heard the man head back to the store and I escaped through the back entrance.

I found Zuko at our rendezvous point, another secluded area a mile from the village. It was quite beautiful, orange tinted trees surrounded a large waterfall and a crystal clear blue lake. The view reminded me of last winter, when I was teaching Aang waterbending. Zuko's word echoed in my head. _I'll save you from the pirates! _His shirt was missing and he had a fresh bandage over his wound. Some color returned to his cheeks.

" Hey" I said tossing him the shirt, vest and belt, " you look better"

" They gave me medicine" he smiled

" Careful with that" I warned, he looked confused " if anyone suspects us, it could be poison or tranquilizer or something." He frowned then shrugged. He then struggled to pull the shirt over his head and recoiled. I rolled my eyes and helped him put it on.

" Some help the herbs gave you" I chuckled as he glared daggers at me. " Joking" I reassured him. And stepped back as he pulled on the vest and tied the belt. I looked at my clothes in my arms.

" I'm going to, …" I said

" Yeah…" he answered awkwardly. He walked off to give me some privacy to change. When I changed I froze the lake and used it as a mirror, after pulling some of my hair into the traditional Fire Nation topknot, and the rest into a single braid, I thawed the lake and called for Zuko.

" I've been thinking," he said as he came out of the bushes.

" Really" I said sarcastically " shocker!" he glared at me and continued

" The safest thing for us to do, is fake our deaths" my eyes widened at his suggestion.

" Fake our deaths?" I squeaked. He nodded solemnly

**bum bum bummmmm!**

**okay if you like this please nominate my story for the atla awards please! anyone! heres the link .net/topic/89263/40493703/1/ **

**yeah... anyway here is my easter present to you all! im really greatful for how many of you already favorited my story! thank you! :D **

**okay im now really psyced cuz i just started on my original story ( which doesn't have a name yet lol) anyway thanks again**

**this is my easter/passover/whatever else present to you all. happy easter/passover/birthday/whatever else you may celebrate**


	3. Chapter 3

Wrote a chapter and for got to post it... again! this happened with a little bit of taang too. sigh. sorry it took so long to update. for your patience, im giving you two chapters today.

The body's skin tone almost matched mine perfectly. He was slightly pudgier, but it would do.

It was Zuko's idea to begin with. He somehow knew where a morgue was and stole two bodies' that would be of some resemblance to us. We got lucky. Zuko's idea was to burn the body's faces beyond recognition, put our old clothes on them, and to place them in an old abandoned town we came across on our way to the morgue.

After the horrendous deed was done, Zuko and I traveled for three days away from where we hid the bodies so that no one would be able to recognize us. We made our way to a small fishing village on the western coast of the country. The area was beautiful. Smaller common houses were built on the beach and docks while large mansions stood proudly on the cliff forever overlooking the vast see. Most of our trip had been quite and melancholy and little conversation passed between the ex-prince and I, so I was stunned when he told me the next part of our plan.

" I was thinking, since were broke anyway, that we stay in town for a while and I can get a job."

" You can?" I asked he gave me a quizzical look, " what makes you think that I can't handle a job?"

" I…" he hesitated " I guess I figure that I could do all of the work anyway."

" Please Zuko you and I both know that you struggle with manual labor…"

"Shut up on the names! Do you realize how many people here can recognize me? If they hear you calling me by name, they'll defiantly suspect us… I would hush up on your name as well, knowing Azula, she probably has wanted posters all over the country."

" oh," I said " right" we continued walking in silence for a few more minutes before he spoke.

" Li," he said seeming out of no where.

" What?' I asked wondering what he was talking about.

" When I was a fugitive," he hesitated then corrected himself " the first time I was a fugitive, I went by Li…" he chuckled " Iroh went by Moshi" I giggled at their incognito names.

"I don't know why, but Moshi seems to fit your uncle." I said " Earlier this summer, when we were blending in, Aang attended a firenation school." I laughed " he got kicked out after like three days. Anyway, on the second day, he got into a fist fight with another student and the headmaster made him bring in his parents. Naturally he came to us, and so Sokka glued on a fake beard, and I redid my hair, bought a new dress, or stole it, and stuffed my sleeping back under my shirt to make me look fat or pregnant. Aang was going by Kuzon" Zuko raised his eyebrow as if he recognized his name. " Sokka went by Wang and I went by Sapphire"

" Li and Sapphire then" he said

" Yeah, sure, I guess" I said indifferently


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry it took so long to post. our crazy teacher have been loading in as much homework as they could... and were graduating in only two weeks! sigh. thats eighth grade for you. Can't wait for summer! I'm going to only post on weekends until I graduate. it's just easier that way.

Brace yourself for Zutara romance ( its teen rated not mature just if your wondering. actually this chapter is more K+)

Surprisingly Zuko got a job in town. I would be happy for him, except his job is mining for coal, and he can't use a hammer if his life depended on it. I got a job apprenticing for an elderly healer named Zebe. I decided to extend my knowledge of the herbs used for medicine in the region and how to heal wounds without bending. Zuko and I stayed in town for three months, well into the winter. After those laborious months, we had earned thirty – five gold pieces in total and we left town. I decide to keep up my study in healing and Zuko got a job in a factory. We repeated this cycle over and over. Stay in town for a few weeks; buy a home; get a job; get paid leave; find a new town; stay in town for a few weeks. I stuck with healer's apprentice, but Zuko had gone through a vast veriety of Jobs. He had been a construction worker, a carpenter, a machine parts engineer, and even a bartender. Before long, I became an expert healer and Zuko, with much practice, became more useful with his hands. Living together, we were constantly squabbling over the littlest things, but something else grew between us something deep, deep, deep down in out hearts. Two years passed like a flash.

* * *

><p>Zuko walked in the door, heaved a sigh, and dropped his coat on the rack. He walked staight to the bedroom and just fell on the bed.<p>

" how was work honey" I joked. When we started traveling together, citizens believed that we were married, and calling each other pet names was our little inside joke.

" the usual" he said crankily, not even lifting his face from the pillow it was entombed in.

"dinner's on the table" I said. he slowly peeled himself off the bed. And followed me into the kitchen.

" so," he said as he picked up his chopsticks and used them to pick the carrot tomatoes off of his plate " pay day's tomorrow"

" are we leaving the colonies then?" I asked referring to the little earth kingdom colonies that we lived in.

" I guess I mean… we could go back home… to the firenation" I shrugged. And he took a deep breath. I knew from that that he was going to try to get something off of his chest that he had been pondering about for a while. " … I know this is going to seem out of nowhere…and you'll probably just think it's stupid… but… I don't really know when it started… it could have been three years ago when we met… but…" he laughed and shook his head " forget it"

" What" I asked

" it's nothing" he insisted. I glared at him and bent the hot water out of the pot threatening him.

" Doesn't seem like nothing" I said sweetly " just tell me"

he sighed again, this time more annoyed than anything else. His hand grabbed something in his pocket and kept the object concealed in a tight fist. " for a while… I've sort of…. Been… in love" he waited for a second looking at me expecting a response then added " with you"

I raised an eyebrow, and suddenly felt very confused " come again?"

" Katara" he for the forth time took a deep breath " I'm in love with you, okay." He hesitated " that's why I jumped in front of that lightning to save you. I didn't want you to get hurt. I love you I really do. "

I stared at him in shock " I'm sorry" he began to look hurt " I haven't thought about love in a long time. It brings back memories of my family, and friends, …" tears welled in my eyes ready to pour out for the friends that I lost and have and always will mourn.

" I see," Zuko said looking down reminding me of when we were trapped together in Ba Sing Se. Zuko put the object back in his pocket, ate the rest of his dinner and walked into the bedroom we shared.

Zuko loves me? The thought was paposterous at first but then I began to think. Why did I offer to save his beloved uncle? Why was I so upset when he betrayed me? Why had I even bothered to go threaten him? Why Did I trust him? Why did I hug him instead of aang? Why Did I save his life?

Because I love him.

And he had done so much more for me. He comforted me in the cave. He didn't even fight back when I picked on him at the air temple. He saved me from falling rocks. He was there for me when I was broken about my mother. Because he knows my pain. He risked his life to save me. and I would be dead too if it weren't for him. And all these months he never left me or abandoned me or joined other groups. Neither did I.

I placed the Coffee on the table and waited for him. When he woke up, it would be his day off.

Finally, at late morning, he seemed to rise from the dead. He sat across from me at the table. I had already drunk a few cups of coffe and I was a little jumpy.

" so I was thinking last night," he nodded and took a sip from his drink " I think I do love you too. Sorry about last night. I was unsure and confused." Zuko grabbed the object out of his pocket and opened his fist to reveal a long strip of red ribbon with a light blue and silver pendent with a flame imprinted on to it. I gasped when I recognized the signifigance of the accessory

" I learned some time ago that when a man and woman are betrothed to each other, the man gives the woman a necklace as a symbol of their love and commitment." Gold met blue and he smiled. " Master Waterbender Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, It would me my honor to have you as my wife… Will you marry me" The blood rushed to my face and I smiled and nodded. The Ex- Prince pressed his lips against mine and I wrapped my arms around his neck.


	5. Chapter 5

again sorry i havent posted in a while, anyway this was fun to write. I didn't give too many deets on the wedding cuz first of all i was lazy, second i wanted to get on with the story, and third there weren't many. Zuko and katara wanted to remain very low key. anyway, enjoy!

* * *

><p>Our wedding was small and to the point. We decided to go to a completely separate village for the wedding so that we could use our real names. We left town right afterward to keep the soldiers whom crowded the towns and cities, keeping order, threatening citizens, and searching for fugitives from blowing our cover.<p>

We finally settled in the slums of Ba Sing Se, which Zuko didn't seem too happy about. Because of the thousands of families who seeked refuge in the capitol after their homes were destroyed on the day of Sozin's Comet, we both had difficulty finding a job. He eventually got a job as a bus boy at a popular upper class restaurant, and I worked as a healer in an underground infirmary for wounded earth kingdom soldiers.

Zuko took me out to dinner in the middle ring, an open - air restaurant lit by candlelight overlooking a bustling street. Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom citizens roamed the streets.

" you know," Zuko said after paying the check, watching the various citizen peacefully roam by. " It's not that bad."

" what's not that bad" I asked perplexity hinting in my voice

" I mean two nations have been at war for a century are finally living together in peace. I guess there's tention, but no one is getting killed anymore"

" are you saying that my brother and my best friends being killed by Pheonix King Ozai and us being fugitives is a good thing' I growled

"Shh!" he said through his teeth " keep your voice down. No, I'm not saying that it's a good thing… They were my friends too. They… and you, were the only real friends I ever had."

" and do you find all of these secret rebel societies and revolts peaceful?"

" I guess I didn't consider that" he sighed. We sat there in the awkward silence until Zuko stood up and held out his hand to me and smiled. " There's something a friend showed me last time I was in Ba Sing Se that I think that you should see."

I smiled back grabbed his hand and stood up. " okay,"

We strolled though the streets, holding hands all the way. We passed a few blocks of apartment buildings, clothes hung on lines, dripping dry.

" close your eyes" Zuko said grabbing my hand. My free hand flew to cover my eyes and before I knew it Zuko was dragging me a hundred yards down the block. " okay you can open them" he said when we stopped. My hand fell away from my face and my eyes widened at the sight. Tall street lamps circled around a fountain lit by lanterns and candles resting on pink and orange candles floating in the water. It was beautiful.

" wow!" I exclaimed, awestruck by the magnificent sight. " It's beautiful" I looked at my husband to see that rare yet adorable smile stretch across his face.

" Li?" his smile dropped at he looked at the girl who spoke. She was slightly shorter than me, two light brown braids fell past her shoulders, and messy bangs covered her forehead. She was pretty, and I began to worry how she knew my husband.

" Jin!" Zuko half yelled. His voice cracked when he said her name. " wow long time, no see"

" yeah!" she smiled " its been like what, three… four years?"

" uh huh" Zuko said nervously glancing at me "oh, Meet my… er… wife… Saphire…"

she smiled sweetly " Oh My Spirits you got married! That's great!"

" no hard feelings?" he said awkwardly

" not at all" she kept on smiling " actually, I'm engaged"

" really" I said

"yeah!" she smiled " he's really sweet. He got severly injured after some spiff, with the… er…" she looked around nervously then whispered " Dai Lee" she returned to her normal tone of voice " that's how I met him. He was staying in the same healing complex as my father, he was very sick at the time. I ran into his friend on the way out. She is very nice, we still talk, a lot actually. I consider her like a sister. Well I met Jet and well I guess it was like love at first sight"

" Jet?" I said a sudden excitement rose within me " he's alive!"

" you know him?"

" I think so, maybe," I said uncertainly "would his friend happen to be named Smellerbee and Longshot?" Zuko's eyes widened and he scouled.

" that Jet?" he hissed

" Yeah actually," she said " you guys know him"

" yeah" we said simaltaniously"

" So how's your uncle" she asked him. Zuko looked surprised

" I… don't know" he said " I haven't seen him in a long… long time"

" too bad" she frowned " Is he still running that tea shop in the middle ring"

" I don't think so" his frown deepened and I could see tears in his eyes. Jin looked at him sympathically, and so did I.

" Well," Jin said breaking the awkward silence, " I've got to go. See you around"

"wait," Zuko said, stopping her in her tracks " can you tell Jet, that he was right about me?"

" Um," she said looking perplexed " sure?" She walked passed us, waving goodbye. " Nice meeting you Sapphire" and like that she was gone

" Who…" I began

" I guess you can say it's my ex- girlfriend" he tucked his hands in his pockets, and stared at the fountain.

" and how do you know Jet" I continued to interregate him

" I met him on the ferry last time I came to Ba Sing Se. He offered me membership to his little elite group, but I didn't want to just abandon Iroh just like that. We needed each other."

" and you didn't want to be labled a traitor"

"I was already labeled a traitor… I still am. Anyway, Iroh was pissed that he bought cold tea, and heated it himself, Jet saw him, and realized who we were… well at least he knew we were fire nation. I don't think he actually knew our real identities, just spies or something. Anyway he saw his chance and attacked us when it was our shift at this little tea shop we were working at, I borrowed some duo swords from on of the patrol guards that was spending his break in our shop, and during our dual, he was arrested. I don't know what happened to him…"

" the Dai Lee brainwashed him" I interrupted " and used him as a weapon against us. We managed to bring his real memories back, but then Long Feng, the leader of the Dai Lee hit him with a huge rock…"

" Like in the play?" He laughed

" sort of" I smiled, " we thought he died, but I know he's alive now… and I'm sort of relieved."

" Well I'm glad you feel that way" he said coldly, turning away from me.

" what's wrong?" I asked growing concerned

" Remember just before we went into battle with Azula, and I confronted my uncle?"

" yeah , you made u p with him right"

" yeah, well, after all what happened with aang and toph, and your brother and suki… I forgot about him…he could be dead…"

" how do you know that?" I said trying to comfort him

" THAT"S THE THING!" he yelled at me, his temper taking its toll " I DON"T! I DON"T KNOW WHERE HE IS! HELL I DON"T KNOW WHETHER OR NOT HE"S STILL ALIVE! I MIGHT AS WELL BE THE WORST NEPHEW IN HISTORY!" During his rant his fists caught on fire from his fury. I sighed, flicked my wrist making the water from the fountain wrap around him, and pull him in. He looked up at me in disbelief, his clothes and hair sopping wet. " What was that for!" he complained

" you were pretty pissed so I pushed you in hoping it would cool you off" I laughed. He chuckled and stood.

" come on," I said holding my hand out to him " lets get home and dry you off before you catch a cold." He grabbed my hand and stepped out of the fountain. " Don't worry, we'll find your uncle"

* * *

><p>Jint, completely non cannon. yes i sort of resserected jet, but i dont think he died. toph said he was lying when he said he was going to be okay... severely injured is not considered "okay" so, in my mind he was alive and ended up meeting jin and married her :D . ive never been much of a jetara fan.<p>

anyway, stay tuned, this was sort of a filler chapter, intense chapters to come.

and when i mean intense i mean deaths, and reunions and stuff like that.

who will be reunited? who will die?


	6. Chapter 6

sorry it took me so long to post. An enemy worse than death visited while writing this chapter...writers block :P

be forewarned this chapter is stock full of AANGST ( you add two As when it has to do with avatar, cuz you know aang-st it has Aang in it. ah forget it)

* * *

><p>Within weeks of me joining the infirmary, it had become an entire secret resistance. Zuko began working two jobs, as a bus boy, and as a member of the resitance. He and the other men would go on secret missions, train, and after his day job, he would steal food from the restaurant and bring it to the wounded men in the hospital. We decided after his second and my third week of working with the resistance to come clean and tell the members who we really were. They treated us like gods. Out in the city, we still went as Li and Sapphire, but we were relieved to be called Zuko and Katara again.<p>

Zuko and I used whatever free time we had to search for his uncle. Our hunt brought back the memories of our days here searching for Appa, and surprisingly enough numbed the pain of the loss of my best friends. We earned no success until vicious gossip spread through the headquarters of the resistance located in the crystal underground catacombs of the city of an execution of a traitor of the fire nation who had been caught two months after our date at the fountain. Zuko and I took immediate interest in this information and asked around the catacombs for additional information. Jin, who also worked with the resistance along with Jet, Longshot, and Smellerbee, told us that she heard that the execution would take place three days from now in front of the palace. We usually ignored the gossip, and wanted to assume that it was just another prisoner of war who "rightfully deserved" his punishment. As the execution date neared, the rumors increased, and it seemed to be such a big deal, that Zuko I and finally decided to attend.

" This is a waste of time" Zuko complained angrily, growling under his breath, " I have better things to do than watch a bunch of Dai Lee guards stone some idiot who's too stupid to watch his back."

" Come on Li," I tried to heighten his spirits, " I've got a good feeling about this" Zuko stared at me strangely, almost as if he was afraid of me, " What?"

" Nothing" he muttered, " I just thought you were over the whole revenge thing"

" What?" I almost screamed, " Is that what you think this is about?"

" It seems that way"

" Well its not"

" Okay" he said, not sounding the slightest bit convinced. We walked in an awkward silence for a few more minutes, and waited at the palace square where an impressive crowd gathered.

" Ladies and Gentlemen!" A voice boomed across the square with so much brilliance, that it seemed like we were here for a show rather than an execution, " I know many of you, whether you are Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation, have waited for this day for a long time…"

" Katara" Zuko whispered uneasily, I jumped at the sound of my real name "Something's up…"

" What do you mean?" I whispered back

" I… I just have a bad feeling"

" … Army tried to break through our walls. Failing miserably he returned home, and was not heard from by the earth kingdom until he and his nephew, Ex-Prince Zuko"

We jumped at my husband's name, and I could see the gears in his head turning, trying to process what he just heard. " …His nephew…prince Zuko…NO!" he yelled as they finished the mini eulogy and brought the general forward. Zuko shoved his way through the crowd. Knowing that he would do something stupid, I followed. Dozens of boulders rose in the air Directly above Iroh, and Zuko and I froze, as Iroh seemed to look directly at us and screamed his dying word at the top of his lungs.

"Long live Firelord Zuko, the true heir to the throne!" The world seemed to be moving in slow motion. We recovered from our state of shock and tried to run toward his uncle. One by one the boulders dropped and crushed the elderly man. Blood gushed from underneath the rock, and the cheers erupted from the crowd hid the screams of horror that escaped the poor princes lips. I held on to him tightly, as if my life depended on it, as he sobbed mournful tears on my shoulder. I knew the feeling of this incredible loss. I lost my entire family to this war. Only weeks after Azula took the throne, my father, and all of our friends who were with him were caught and slaughtered. All of them, even the young innocent child, The Duke. War was a ruthless game, and no one is spared by it. Watching, Feeling, Hearing, my husband bawl his eyes out for the one and only father figure he had in life, knowing what this incredible loss was like, I swore that I will avenge our families. This time, I won't hold back. This time, we won't fail. This time, we will _kill_ our enemy. Give them the fate that they deserve. Letting Azula live was a mistake I won't make again.

* * *

><p>and no, Iroh is not going to make an incredible Chuck Norris escape and end up killing the Dai Lee guards that tryed to kill him. he is dead<p>

D

E

A

D

got it?


	7. Chapter 7

I threw the dirty bandages in the wastebasket, washed my bloodstained hands in the sink, and turned back to my patient.

" You're making excellent progress Chey," I said as I scribbled some notes on a sheet of paper, and filed it away for later. " You're going to need rehabilitation so that you can get your leg moving properly though. I think you'll be ready for that… lets say… in two weeks?" the young man weakly nodded at me. Considering how much strength he built up since his incident, I agreed with myself. " Two weeks it is." I swept a hair out of my face as Jin, who for a while now I have considered one of my best friends, finished up with one of her patients and began to walk my way.

" So the guys will be back from their mission tonight…" She began

" Yeah," I smiled at her " I know"

" Aren't you excited" She tugged at my arm, " I mean we haven't seen them in months

"Well," I said trying to sound practical " I was a huge mission. They were going to every fire nation prison to break out anyone who would be willing to be on our side, and from what I have seen in Fire Nation prisons, any sane person would join our side just to get the hell out of there."

" I know I would. Why didn't you go on this one?"

" Because I had way too many patients to attend to, it was just a bad time for me"

" I'm just saying, a waterbender would have made a useful addition. You could have used that uber creepy technique on them" my stomach dropped.

" What?"

" You know the thing you did to unblock that artery when you saved General Goy from that heart attack."

" Oh right…that"

" What is it called?"

" Bloodbending, I learned it a few years ago from some creepy old lady who wanted to get revenge on the Firenation citizens for locking her up"

" Was she water tribe?'

" A disgrace to our nation, yeah, she was water tribe"

"Oh" Jin said awkwardly. A loud ear splitting alarm broke the silence, meaning that we had been caught. I bent any liquid up, into a spiral, and froze it over my arms.

" Lets go," I said as Jin pulled out a dagger that Smellerbee gave her to protect herself. We ran up the crystal staircase and met up with the other members of our army.

"Sorry folks" Tonzu, the head of the resistance announced " false alarm. Our men just got back. We thought that they were the fire nation army" Jin and I let our guard down. Noticing the soldiers walking into the main pavilion, I melted the water off of my arms, and made it swirl over my head, separated it into hundreds of icicles, and forced them into the ground. I felt his strong arms wrap around my waist. Turning my head, I kissed him softly on the lips.

" You came back," I whispered, taking my lips away from his the slightest bit.

" Did you really think I wouldn't?"

" Not really, but you were gone for months"

" It was a big mission"

" I hope you realize that you got fired from your day job"

Carelessly, he shrugged, " I'll get another one"

"And how do you know that?" I drew back completely

"I'll get one," He promised, not answering my question " Give me two weeks"

" That's a pretty short time frame"

"Trust me" I frowned at my husband.

"You've changed," I pulled out of his embrace and glared up at him.

"Okay," He said sounding much more like his usual grumpy self, " What's up with you"

" Well like you said, you've been gone for months, I missed you, and now you just seem different"

" That's just it, I missed you. Can't a man be happy to see his wife?"

" I guess…" I smiled wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him once more, " I'm just being paranoid"

" You think?" Zuko said sarcastically.

" Master Katara," I turned to face the soldier who addressed me, " You are needed in the infirmary." I nodded solemnly and the soldier looked at Zuko "You did tell her the news, did you not"

" I didn't get the chance"

" What's wrong?" I said worriedly

"Katara" Zuko looked at me seriously once again, " we found a prisoner in a water tribe uniform"

* * *

><p>sorry that its short. i intended for this to be a long one, but wanted to end on a more intense note.<p>

okay i promise from here, a more complicated story line will develope ( including major aangst) its going to go from two weeks to several months between each chapter to only seconds after.


	8. Chapter 8

ready to find out who the water tribe warrior is? (i'm beginning to think that the pacing of this is way to quick. oh well.)

* * *

><p>" Katara" Zuko chased after me as I darted to the infirmary, " Wait up, can't we just talk this over before you get too excited?"<p>

"What is there to talk about?" I turned toward him, tears streamed down my face and dripped off of my cheeks. " Why? Why couldn't you just tell me about…?"

" I was going to!" he interrupted. Feeling as though I couldn't look at my husband, I turned my head away " Kat, you can't get too worked up about this, chances are, you probably won't know this guy."

"You didn't recognize him could you?" I whispered hopelessly.

" He was too beaten up to tell. His face was so bruised and swollen, we weren't sure whether or not he was still alive." I glanced down the hallway.

"I've got to see for myself" I looked at my husband, and continued to run to the infirmary.

" Master Katara," Dante, another of the healers addressed me, " you're needed in sector five room 19 Chey…"

" Not now," I said selfishly, " Where's the Water Tribe soldiar?"

" Sector Twelve: Room Eight" I ran passed him, darted sown the numerous hallways, until I reached the sector, and swept through the fourth door on the left side. Asleep on the bed, lay a young man. A bit of a beard grew from his face, and his hair fell to his shoulders. Walking closer to the bed, I realized how badly bruised his face was. Black and blue covered almost every inch of him, and his eyes were so swollen, that he could have been conscious and we wouldn't know. Looking at the coloring of his hair, he was defiantly younger than thirty. His symbol on his uniform was a full moon, he was a new recruit before he was captured. On his bracers was imprinted an upside down creasent with a dot below it.

" Mark of the wise" I whispered. There were no other clues as to who this was. I glanced at the white woven necklace. They were just as popular in the water Tribes among the men, as mine was among the women. This usually wouldn't hold my interest, but there was something about the pattern of it. I carefully lifted the man's head, and unhooked the clasp that kept it together. I studied the pattern more closely, noticing that it was tightly woven into a braid. A tiny blue symbol was imprinted into the fabric. Turning the necklace vertically, I read the incription.

" No" I gasped in shock, " it cant be!" For the incription read " If found, return to Sokka, Southern Watertribe" tears began to stream down my face, " you're alive" I cried, wrapping my arms around my brother.

He was diagnosed with diptheria; I wouldn't blame him though. It was a miracle that he was still alive.

" He's a fighter" Zuko told me, and I knew it was true. I've lived with him for fifteen years before he went missing. Strength was one of his decent qualities, but with that came his arrogance. Not an hour passed where I wasn't taking care of my ill brother. A week later, his fever broke, and he began to recover.

" Where's my brother?" I asked one of the doctors several days later. I had just walked into his room to find that he was missing.

" He woke up" The doctor addressed me, gestering to the bathroom annexed to the room. I frowned at the door, sulked over, and knocked on the door.

" Occupied" He sounded.

"Sokka?" I whispered and waited for a minute, but he didn't answer. " Sokka, it's me…" The door burst open and he wrapped his arms around me.

" Katara" he whispered, his tears dripped onto my shoulder " You're alive"

" I thought he killed you" i said pulling back to look at his face. The swelling had gone down, his hair was cut shorter, and shaving cream covered his chin and upper lip.

" She told me that she killed you, a lightening bolt passed right through you."

" No we're alive, both me and Zuko, he almost died… but I saved him"

" You're the lucky ones then" He looked down at his feet, suddenly taking interest in the metal contraption that was attached to where his left leg ended at the knee. An axel acted as an ankle, with s spring directly below it to allow easier momentem "A leg was a small price to pay…" he muttered almost inaudibly " they were all killed…one by one…" his blue eyes seemed to stab me in the gut " right in front of me… and I couldn't save them"

" you're the only one that lived?"

"Like I said, I thought that you and Zuko were dead"

" Well actually, he saved my life…" I blushed " I'll let him tell the story" Sokka gave an unusually look at my neck then at me.

" What happened to mom's necklace?" I covered my neck

" What do you mean?" I gasped trying to sound innocent, " It's right here."

" It was blue… not red."

" I had to blend in" I lied. There was no way I could tell Sokka that I was married. Especially when it wasn't under our customs.

" Oh," he said, looking a bit ashamed " right…" he limped back to his bed and sat down. " Can you leave me alone? I have a lot to…to think about"

"Of course I nodded, considering all that had happened to him, and left him alone.


	9. Chapter 9

"…And I just wimped out like that" I finished telling my story to Zuko.

" So as far as he knows, we still hate each other… or at least, we're only friends" Zuko concluded

" Exactly," I gave in " We have to tell him."

" you know that he would be less pissed off if you came clean in the beginning, rather than lie and tell him later."

" I know" I admitted " We have to tell him together"

" Oh no" he threw up his hands defensively " He would kill me before he would kill you!"

" Man Up" I nagged, " Agni, you're such a baby" Zuko frowned then sighed

" Fine! I'll talk to him next time I see him. I'm going to…" he chose his words carefully, " the training grounds, I have to practice my fire… er… earth… um… sword fighting" Rolling my eye's I waved him away.

" go ahead, I'll catch up with you later… first I've got to talk to Jin about something." The front door slammed as he left. weakly leaning over the counter, I placed one hand over my naval, and used the other to pack several strawberry- apples, peach- pears, banana-plums, and blueberry-grapes into my bag for lunch. Slinging the bag over my shoulder, I hurried out the door to meet Jin.

Greeted by the sound of clashing swords, and a vicious crowd cheering, I arrived at the Crystal Catacomb training grounds, the exact spot where we battled Zuko and Azula years ago. A group of fifty or so men and women circled what seemed to be a couple of men dualling each other. Quarrels like this were common, as the people of the resistance tended to get on each other's nerves more often than necessary. Most times these fights were over petty things like who would get a hammer for earthbending at the arsenal, or someone would cut in front of someone with a hot temper in the market.

" Who is it this time Ding" I asked the herbalist who worked with me in the infirmary

" Zuko and the water tribe boy." She responded, setting off a sense of alarm inside of me. " I saw them talking while getting some water, and the water tribe boy pulled a knife on him. Before we knew it, they both had their swords out and were fighting to the death." Scowling, I pushed through the crowd and my frown deepened at the scene. Zuko Swung his swords with elegant, but deadly accuracy at my brother, who dodged his attacks, and swung his shiny silver sword, which had been given to him when he agreed to join us, back with equal accuracy. Zuko blocked the attack, and catching Sokka's single sword with his double broad swords, he snapped the weapon out Sokka's hands. I raised my arms in front of me, and focused on all of the water in the room, the water in the streams, in the air, and the water in their blood. Taking control of the Men (or more accurately boys), I froze them in their positions, then moved the blood in their bodies so that they could stand upright. I had become more relaxed with using bloodbending, especially when I used it for medical uses, but I hardly used it this way. Zuko's eyes darted around fearfully, for it was his first time being bloodbent, as for Sokka, whom the tecnique had been used on him once before by Hama, looked more uncomfortable than nervous.

" What is this about?" I address the men

" YOU"RE MARRIED?" Sokka screamed, " TO HIM! UNDER HIS COSTUMS AND WITH OUT CONSULTING ME?"

" Why would you care? You're not my father, and honestly, when we married, we thought that you were dead"

" As your last living family member, I still have authority over you, and it's my responsibility to protect you from people like him!"

" No!" I yelled back, " I'm 17, and I'm a married woman! You no longer have authority over me, no one does! And its his job to protect me… not that I need it though. I can help myself! I Don't need anyone to protect me Sokka!"

I released the men from my blood bending, only to whirl the water from the rivers above my head, wrap it around them, and freeze them in one bock of ice. Picking up there weapons, I continued

" now, that you two are all frozen up and inable to kill each other, I'm going to let you guys settle this _maturely_. Neither one of you will hurt the other, I don't care how out of line they were, I don't care who started it, if one of your hurts the other, I will kill you…" I was about to leave it at that, but then added "…and if I find you guys fighting each other again, I will hunt both of you down, and cut both of your penises off, got it?" I leaned in closer so only they can hear, then whispered " Oh, and before I forget to tell you guys… I am pregnant"

" Great now you're just giving me an excuse to kill him." Sokka muttered.


	10. Chapter 10

I rested my left hand on my much swollen stomach while stirred a pot of soup for dinner. Sokka and Zuko would both be home from work in about an hour, plenty of time for me to finish dinner, and rest in my room.

" Ugh" I groaned, rubbing the spot wear my child just kicked. Then I laughed " you're a strong one!" The Eight tiresome months that already passed, told me that my child was an active one, and had enough energy to go around. Zuko, of course, was growing more and more anxious as each day passed. Thinking of all the horrible things that the Phoenix king did to him, I wouldn't blame him. A pound at the door broke my train of thought. Turning off the stove, and putting a lid on the soup, I crossed my living room to greet my guest. I jumped back in fright to see five Dai Lee guards, their hands behind their backs.

' C- Can I help you?" I stammered.

" Yes," the first one, who seemed to be the leader, answered flatly, " Is you're husband home?"

" Would I not do?" I asked gathering my courage, " he's at work, he won't be home for another hour and a half" I hoped I could buy us time to pack and leave. The Dai Lee agent looked at the rest. Then answered

" I'm sure Lady Azula would like to see the woman to captured her as much as she would her treacherous brother."

" What do you mean?" I tried to act innocent

" Dai Lee, Capture the Waterbender. I dodged the first wave of rock attacks. Bending the soup out of the pot, I blocked the second. With out my notice, an agent came up from behind and bound my hands together with rock hand cuffs. I screamed for help just before they could block my mouth.

" Walk!' the one behind be growled in my ear. I stumbled out of my house and saw that our friends and neighbors had gathered to see the commotion. A shrill scream sounded from over head, when Smellerbee jumped down off the rooftop, daggers in hand, and stabbed one of the Dai Lee in the back. Blood gushed from the wound as he fell flat on his face. Two rock hands flew to her feet, keeping her in one spot.

" We'll deal with you later" one of the guards said indifferently, as if one of his comrades got stabbed in the back by a crazed rebel every day. Seven arrows flew through the air, from an unknown location, freeing Smellerbee and killing two more. Throughout the chaos that had broken on the street I struggled to free my hands. When that failed, I bent the water up from the puddle and tried to slice through the rock bonds. Sweat poured down my forehead as, I curled my fingers in awkward positions. One Slice. Another Slice. Another… A scream erupted from another Dai Lee guard. Glancing up, I saw that one of them, the one who had cuffed me, had an arrow sticking out of his chest and a hatchet in his back. Whimpering, I felt a warm wet liquid trickle down my arm. " Shit!" I muttered realizing that I had completely missed my target and cut my hand. A blazing blue inferno seemed to light up the darkening square as a shrill voice cryed out, almost naggingly, " You men are useless! Why send a bunch of savage earthbenders for a Firebenders job."

" I'm sorry my Lady" The last Standing Agent replied. Evidently he tried to keep his voice under control, but fear penetrated from him. He was obviously a new recruit, or how Sokka would call it, a nube. The town's people cowered before the firelord astride a mighty Komodo – Rhino. Icy blue daggers met even colder gold flames. Her hair, though it had grown out in the past few years, still showed signs of where she sliced it in frustration. Her top knot was a bit messier than usual, and her bloodshot eyes were shadowed by dark rings. Her insanity caused her a lack of sleep.

" So this is where my brother has been living for that past few years," she said flatly, glancing at the old apartment building, then looked down at her finger nails as if they were much more interesting. " I hear that you guys have started a resistance…I bet daddy wouldn't like to hear about that"

" You're 'daddy' is nothing more than a soulless, hope devouring, weak, cowardly, son of a hog – monkey, who sits around all day not giving a crap what goes on out side of his palace walls" the citizens stared at me,, surprised at my courage. Azula scouled then addressed the last standing guard.

"Bind and gag her…and make sure her eyes are covered. I don't want her getting any ideas." As rock shackles bound my arms, legs, and feet about a dozen Dai Lee guards stalked up beside Azula. " You two" she pointed to the two closest to her" take these two to the palace dungeon" they confiscated Long Shot's bow, and Smellerbee's daggers, and bound stone around their wrists as well. The guard behind me shoved a cloth that tasted like dust and bitter vinegar in my mouth, and tied a longer strip that smelled the same around my eyes. It was brown and difficult to see through. " the rest of you," Azula addressed the Dai Lee, " gather the rest of your men and blast their base to kingdom come, and hunt down any survivors. An ostrich – horse winnied in the crown as a few screams were thrown into the air.

" Sorry" Jin's familiar voice announced to the princess, " Lost control of her…I'm in a hurry, so I have no time for formalities your majesty." Her voice filled me with hope. By the sounds of it, she was heading to the crystal catacombs to warn the others. Rock gloves slipped under my arms and grabbed my ankles. _They are in good hands_ I kept on thinking to myself, trying to bring peace to a mind running marathons. My bottom hit the wood floor of what seemed to be a wagon

" Sapphire" Smellerbee called somewhere to my left, the direction of the street, " Listen, don't tell them anything, no matter what they do to you" I nodded as she began to scream under a stone glove. As the wheels began to turn, a Dai lee guard ungagged me, but kept the blindfold on. A fragrent towel was pressed against my lips, and as I inhaled its honey like scent, my mind became opaque, and I was light like a feather, easy go wherever the wind takes me. My last thoughts were floating through the sky before I passed into the deepest sleep I had in ages.


	11. Shoutout to ALL followers

well, i had a much longer update than this

but dumbass shit me decided to accidentally delete it... again

okay so i'm going to do this as quick as i can

- **A Little Bit of Taang** - sorry for the shitty ending of Little Bit Of Taang, i ran out of motivation just at the end. i swear to god, i will make it up to you. When i was working on it, i was under a lot of stress from school, and was not in a comedic mood. I couldnt get into a comedic mood. and i really wanted to get some fanfiction done.

so sorry for angsty, not that funny ending. it was a hell of a lot funnier in my head before i put it down on paper.

but i was winging that story anyways.

- **Keep Holding On** - okay, i'm gonna redo this one. The writing itself is shit and its stock full of grammer/spelling errors. I'm gonna give you guys a choice though; if you remember in the last chapter Katara was kidnapped by Azula and the Dai Lee - Either i make this comic M rated and fill it stock full or morbid graphic explicit torture, or i keep it T rated, and turn her into a slave. your choice. just leave your answers in the comments.

-**Letters Through the Gate** - Or whatever the fuck i named it... I'm halfway through Chapter 2...

-**Irkan Scum - **did i even upload that one on here? i think i did. Anywho, i haven't started Chapter 2

- **Avatar: The Last Songfic bender** - okay, what the fuck happened to this one? oh right, i forgot entirely about it

- **Monster Within** - currently on hold... writers block (yeah... let's go with that...)

- **Zutara** week? - Yeah, fuck that

- **FMA Oneshots** - they're fucking oneshots, they are actually complete

- anything else, i might end up deleting...

Riiiiight

so now i'm on both DeviantArt (i have been for a year) and Tumblr (3 months)

my username for both is **soflylikeagoldfish**

****so yup!

yip yip, peace out!


End file.
